Relationships serve us by bringing people into our lives that add to our wellbeing by supporting us and making us happy. Healthy relationships can be formed between family members, friends, and significant others. While many of us will experience toxic or negative relationships in our lifetime, it is important to recognize the healthy relationships that fulfill our lives as well. There are many things that define a healthy relationship and I hope that you recognize some of these aspects in relationships that you have, and take time to be thankful for the people who add joy to your life.
1. They are there for you when you need them the most.
It’s easy for people to be around you when you are in a good mood and are not stressed out about anything. But the people who are there for you when you are going through tough times are the people who you know you can truly count on. Every one of us is going to go through rough spots in our life and you will notice that some people will start to become “busy” more often or won’t make as much of an effort to spend time with you. There will also be some people that will check in on you more often and will try and spend more time with you because they are noticing that you need support. These are the people who truly care about you and share a healthy relationship with you.
2. They make you smile and laugh.
This one seems so simple, but it is one of the most important ones. Smiling and laughing are so beneficial to your wellbeing and can change your overall outlook on life. You want to keep the people in your life who make you smile and laugh often because these are some of the healthiest things that will add to the overall positivity of your life.
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3. They support your dreams.
One of the unhealthiest things in a relationship is jealousy and it can cause a lot of tension or stress between two people. Healthy relationships are relationships in which both people genuinely support and believe in the other person’s dreams. If you find that the other person is excited to hear about your dreams and believes in your ability to achieve them, this is a sign of a healthy relationship. Healthy relationships will not allow jealousy to get in the way of supporting one another’s dreams, but instead will bring positivity to the visions of each other’s dreams.
4. They constantly remind you how important you are to them.
The strongest relationships are built when people remind others of how important they are to them. Healthy relationships are relationships in which the other person is constantly reminding you of your importance and how you bring positivity into their life. If someone always tells you how special and important you are to them, you probably have a very healthy and positive relationship with that person.
5. They are respectful to the important people in your life.
It is essential that the people who you form relationships with also form healthy relationships with the important people in your life as well. People who you bring into your life should respect your family and your other friends. Tension between your family or friends and the other person will cause extra stress in your life, so ensuring that everyone has mutual respect for one another is important when building a healthy relationship.
6. They respect your time and space.
As I mentioned before, we will all go through tough times, and during some of those times, we may want some extra space to ourselves. The people in your life should respect this and allow you to take some alone time, but also make sure that you know they are there to support you if you need them. Healthy relationships do not require constant attention, but instead require that we respect the other person’s space and time while maintaining support for them.Image source: Carl Attard
We can build strong, healthy relationships with anyone — from our family members to our friends and significant others. If there are relationships in your life that display some or all of the aspects listed above, take some time to thank those people for being kind to you and for adding positivity to your life. Although healthy relationships can be rare, we should always take the time to recognize them and be thankful for them.